According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one billion people could lose their lives during this century due to tobacco-related diseases. WHO experts state that while smoking currently kills approximately 5.4 million people per year this number could increase to over 8 million annually within the next 20 years. The reason - smoking is on the rise within many developing countries. However, experts claim there are ways to counteract these numbers if governments are willing to act. Steeper taxation, cigarette advertising bans and smoke-free public areas have all been shown to successfully help reduce the number of smokers.